Vehicle Heat Pump System

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0039318, filed on Mar. 21, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates to a vehicle heat pump system.

A heat pump system has a cycle in which a liquid refrigerant evaporates in an evaporator, absorbs heat from the surroundings, and becomes a gas, and the gas is liquified by a condenser by releasing heat to the surroundings. When applied to an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle, the heat pump system has an advantage of securing a heat source that is insufficient in the conventional air conditioner.

Such a heat pump system transfers a refrigerant to a front seat air conditioner disposed in a front seat region of a vehicle and a rear seat air conditioner disposed in a rear seat region of the vehicle. That is, a line for transferring the refrigerant to a rear seat of the vehicle should be installed in the conventional heat pump system.

In this case, a heater for heating the vehicle can be provided in each of the front seat air conditioner and the rear seat air conditioner. Accordingly, in a cooling mode of the vehicle, both the front seat air conditioner and the rear seat air conditioner cool air using the refrigerant, and in a heating mode of the vehicle, both the front seat air conditioner and the rear seat air conditioner heat the air using the heater.

However, referring to, in the conventional heat pump system, a condenser in which a refrigerant flows in a heating mode of a vehicle is installed in only a front seat air conditioner, and only an evaporator is installed in a rear seat air conditioner without a condenser. Accordingly, in the front seat air conditioner, an amount of energy for heating the air by a heater using the condenser can be minimized, but in the rear seat air conditioner, there is a problem that a pipe through which the refrigerant is transferred from a compressor becomes long. Accordingly, the rear seat air conditioner of the conventional heat pump system heats the air using the heater. Since the air should be heated using only the heater, there are problems that the heater is overused and degrades energy use efficiency and heating efficiency.

The present invention is directed to providing a vehicle heat pump system improved such that heating efficiency of an air conditioner installed in a rear seat region of a vehicle is increased.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle heat pump system which heat-exchanges a first heat exchange medium discharged from a compressor with a second heat exchange medium, the vehicle heat pump system including a first air conditioning module disposed in a front seat region of a vehicle and including a first evaporator and a first inner heat exchanger and a second air conditioning module disposed in a rear seat region of the vehicle and including a second evaporator and a second inner heat exchanger, wherein the first heat exchange medium passing through the second inner heat exchanger flows into the second evaporator.

The vehicle heat pump system may include a branch valve which guides the first heat exchange medium discharged from the compressor to flow or not flow toward the second inner heat exchanger according to an air conditioning mode, wherein the branch valve may be disposed between the compressor and the first air conditioning module.

The vehicle heat pump system may include a medium line which connects the compressor, the first air conditioning module, the second air conditioning module, and the branch valve and forms a movement path of the first heat exchange medium.

The medium line may include a first line which guides the first heat exchange medium discharged from the compressor to flow toward the first inner heat exchanger, a second line which guides the first heat exchange medium guided by the first line to flow toward the branch valve, and a third line which guides the first heat exchange medium arriving at the branch valve to flow toward the first air conditioning module or the second air conditioning module.

The vehicle heat pump system may include an expansion valve including a first expansion valve disposed between the branch valve and the first air conditioning module and a second expansion valve disposed behind the second air conditioning module in a flow direction of the first heat exchange medium, wherein the medium line may include a fourth line which guides the first heat exchange medium arriving at the second inner heat exchanger to flow toward the second expansion valve and a fifth line which guides the first heat exchange medium passing through the second expansion valve to flow toward the second evaporator.

The branch valve may guide the first heat exchange medium to flow toward each of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve in a cooling mode.

The first heat exchange medium discharged from the compressor may pass through the first line and the second line and arrive at the branch valve in a heating mode.

The branch valve may guide the first heat exchange medium to flow toward the second inner heat exchanger in a heating mode.

The first heat exchange medium passing through the branch valve may pass through the second expansion valve and flow toward the second evaporator.

The vehicle heat pump system may include an outdoor heat exchanger which heat-exchanges the first heat exchange medium that has passed through the first inner heat exchanger with the second heat exchange medium, wherein the branch valve may receive the first heat exchange medium that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger in a cooling mode.

The branch valve may include a first inlet which receives the first heat exchange medium that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger, a second inlet which receives the first heat exchange medium that has passed through the second line of the medium line, a first outlet which guides the first heat exchange medium passing through the first inlet to flow toward the first expansion valve in the cooling mode, and a second outlet which guides the first heat exchange medium passing through the first inlet to flow toward the second expansion valve in the cooling mode and guides the first heat exchange medium that has passed through the second inlet to flow toward the second expansion valve in a heating mode.

The vehicle heat pump system may include a water condenser and an outdoor heat exchanger disposed behind the first inner heat exchanger in a flow direction of the first heat exchange medium, wherein the first heat exchange medium that has passed through the first inner heat exchanger may pass through the water condenser or the outdoor heat exchanger and flow into the first evaporator, and the first heat exchange medium that has passed through the second inner heat exchanger may flow into the second evaporator.

The vehicle heat pump system may include a first line disposed between the compressor and the first inner heat exchanger, a second line which is connected to the first line and through which the first heat exchange medium flowing through the first line branches off, and a branch valve connected to the second line, wherein the second line and the branch valve are disposed in front of the second inner heat exchanger.

The first heat exchange medium discharged from the compressor sequentially may pass through the first line, the first inner heat exchanger, the water condenser, and the outdoor heat exchanger and flow back into the compressor in a heating mode.

The first heat exchange medium discharged from the compressor may sequentially pass through the first line, the second line, the branch valve, the second inner heat exchanger, and the second evaporator and flow back into the compressor in a heating mode.

The first heat exchange medium discharged from the compressor may sequentially pass through the first line, the first inner heat exchanger, the water condenser, the outdoor heat exchanger, the branch valve, and the first evaporator and flow back into the compressor in a cooling mode.

The first heat exchange medium discharged from the compressor may sequentially pass through the first line, the first inner heat exchanger, the water condenser, the outdoor heat exchanger, the branch valve, the second inner heat exchanger, and the second evaporator and flow back into the compressor in a cooling mode.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference the accompanying drawings.

However, the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited to some embodiments which will be described and may be implemented in a variety of different forms, and one or more components of the embodiments may be selectively combined, substituted, and used within the range of the technical spirit of the present invention.

In addition, unless clearly and specifically defined otherwise by the context, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein can be interpreted as having meanings customarily understood by those skilled in the art, and the meanings of generally used terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, will be interpreted in consideration of contextual meanings of the related art.

In addition, terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are considered in a descriptive sense only and not to limit the present invention.

In the present specification, unless specifically indicated otherwise by the context, singular forms include plural forms, and in a case in which “at least one (or one or more) among A, B, and C” is described, this may include at least one combination among all possible combinations of A, B, and C.

In addition, in descriptions of components of the present invention, terms such as “first,” “second,” “A,” “B,” “(a),” and “(b)” may be used.

Such terms are only to distinguish one component from another component, and the essence, order, and the like of the components are not limited by the terms.

In addition, it should be understood that, when a first component is referred to as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “linked” to a second component, such a description may include both a case in which the first component is directly connected, coupled, or linked to the second component and a case in which the first component is connected or coupled to the second component with a third component disposed therebetween.

In addition, when a first component is described as being formed or disposed “on (above)” or “under (below)” a second component, such a description includes both a case in which the two components are formed or disposed in direct contact with each other and a case in which one or more other components are interposed between the two components. In addition, when the first component is described as being formed “on (above) or under (below)” the second component, such a description may include a case in which the first component is formed at an upper side or a lower side with respect to the second component.

Hereinafter, a vehicle heat pump system will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, components which are the same or correspond to each other will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

is a configuration diagram illustrating a vehicle heat pump system according to an embodiment of the present invention and illustrates the flow of a first heat exchange medium in a cooling mode, andis a configuration diagram illustrating the vehicle heat pump system according to the embodiment of the present invention and illustrates the flow of the first heat exchange medium in a heating mode.

Referring to, a vehicle heat pump systemaccording to the embodiment of the present invention may heat-exchange a first heat exchange medium discharged from a compressorwith a second heat exchange medium. In this case, the first heat exchange medium may include a refrigerant, and the second heat exchange medium may include air. Accordingly, hereinafter, the first heat exchange medium is called a first heat exchange medium and a refrigerant, and the second heat exchange medium is called as a second heat exchange medium and air.

The vehicle heat pump systemmay include a compressor, a first air conditioning module, a second air conditioning module, an outdoor heat exchanger, an accumulator, a medium line, a branch valveand an expansion valve.

The compressormay compress the refrigerant. The compressormay discharge the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state. In this case, the compressormay be called a compressor.

The first air conditioning modulemay be disposed in a front seat region of a vehicle. Accordingly, the first air conditioning modulemay discharge air-conditioned air toward the front seat region of the vehicle. The first air conditioning modulemay include a first case, a first evaporator, a first inner heat exchanger, and a heater.

The first casemay accommodate the first evaporator, the first inner heat exchanger, and the heatertherein. A discharge port through which cooled or heated air is discharged may be formed in the first case.

The first evaporatormay be disposed in the first case. The first evaporatormay receive the refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor heat exchangerand a first expansion valve, which will be described below, in the cooling mode of the vehicle. Air passing through the first evaporatorin the cooling mode of the vehicle may be cooled by exchanging heat with the refrigerant accommodated in the first evaporator. In addition, the first evaporatorin the heating mode of the vehicle may be used as a path through which air introduced into the first casepasses.

The first inner heat exchangermay be disposed in the first case. The first inner heat exchangermay be disposed apart from the first evaporatorin the first case. The first inner heat exchangermay cool the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressorsuch that the refrigerant becomes a liquid. In this case, the first inner heat exchangermay be called a first condenser.

A mode door may be disposed between the first evaporatorand the first inner heat exchanger. The mode door may rotate according to an air conditioning mode of the vehicle. For example, the mode door in the cooling mode may guide the air introduced into the first caseto not flow toward the first inner heat exchanger, and the mode door in the heating mode may guide the air introduced into the first caseto flow from the first evaporatortoward the first inner heat exchanger.

The heatermay be disposed in the first caseand disposed in front of the first inner heat exchangerin an air flow direction. The heatermay operate in the heating mode of the vehicle and heat-exchange air to heat the air passing through the first inner heat exchanger.

The second air conditioning modulemay be disposed in a rear seat region of the vehicle. Accordingly, the second air conditioning modulemay discharge air-conditioned air toward the rear seat region of the vehicle. The second air conditioning modulemay include a second case, a second evaporator, and a second inner heat exchanger.

The second casemay accommodate the second evaporatorand the second inner heat exchangertherein. A discharge port through which cooled or heated air is discharged may be formed in the second case.

The second evaporatormay be disposed in the second case. The second evaporatormay receive the refrigerant that has passed through the second inner heat exchangerand a second expansion valve, which will be described below, in the cooling mode and heating mode of the vehicle. Air passing through the second evaporatorin the cooling mode of the vehicle may be cooled by exchanging heat with the refrigerant accommodated in the second evaporator. In addition, the second evaporatorin the heating mode of the vehicle may be used as a path through which the air introduced into the second casepasses.

The second inner heat exchangermay be disposed in the second case. The second inner heat exchangermay be disposed apart from the second evaporatorin the second case. The second inner heat exchangermay accommodate the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger. In this case, the second inner heat exchangermay be called a second condenser.

A mode door may be disposed between the second evaporatorand the second inner heat exchanger. The mode door may rotate according to the air conditioning mode of the vehicle. For example, the mode door in the cooling mode may guide the air introduced into the second caseto not flow toward the second inner heat exchanger, and the mode door in the heating mode may guide the air introduced into the second caseto flow from the second evaporatortoward the second inner heat exchanger.

The outdoor heat exchangermay be provided on the front side of the vehicle. The outdoor heat exchangermay receive the refrigerant that has passed through the first inner heat exchangerof the first air conditioning module. The outdoor heat exchangermay heat-exchange the first heat exchange medium (refrigerant) that has passed through the first inner heat exchangerwith the second heat exchange medium (air).